AYAT UL KURSI "THE VERSE OF THE THRONE" - AL-BAQARAH: 255

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ {2:255}

[Q2:255] Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zal lazee yashfa'u indahooo illaa bi-iznih; ya'lamu maa baina aydeehim wa maa khalfahum wa laa yuheetoona bishai'im min 'ilmihee illaa bimaa shaaa'; wasi'a Kursiyyuhus samaawaati wal arda wa laa ya'ooduho hifzuhumaa; wa Huwal Aliyyul 'Azeem.

[Q2:255] ALLAH (SWT) is He besides Whom there is no God, the Everliving, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.

[Q2:255] ALLAH (SwT), tiada Tuhan (yang berhak disembah) melainkan Dia, Yang Tetap hidup, Yang Kekal selama-lamanya mentadbirkan (sekalian makhlukNya). Yang tidak mengantuk usahkan tidur. Yang memiliki segala yang ada di langit dan yang ada di bumi. Tiada sesiapa yang dapat memberi syafaat (pertolongan) di sisiNya melainkan dengan izinNya yang mengetahui apa yang ada di hadapan mereka dan apa yang ada di belakang mereka, sedang mereka tidak mengetahui sesuatu pun dari (kandungan) ilmu ALLAH (SwT) melainkan apa yang ALLAH (SwT) kehendaki (memberitahu kepadanya). Luasnya Kursi ALLAH (SwT) (ilmuNya dan kekuasaanNya) meliputi langit dan bumi; dan tiadalah menjadi keberatan kepada ALLAH (SwT) menjaga serta memelihara keduanya. Dan Dia lah Yang Maha Tinggi (darjat kemuliaanNya), lagi Maha Besar (kekuasaanNya)

This verse is known as the ayat ul kursi- the verse of the seat or throne of the almighty, omnipotent and wise authority of ALLAH (SWT). THIS VERSE IS AN AYAH OF PROTECTION. In it is mentioned all that we the mortals can ever know about ALLAH (SWT).

©  "ALLAH (SWT) is He beside whom there is no ALLAH (SWT)" - please refer to the commentary of verse 1:1 of al Fatihah for the word "ALLAH (SWT)".

Not only the denial of false gods, but also the belief in the absolute unity of ALLAH (SWT) without any complexity of any kind, in any sense, in HIS EVER-LIVING AND SELF-SUBSISTING SUPREME BEING, IS THE FIRST AND THE FOREMOST DOCTRINE OF ISLAM. Complexity suggests an interdependence among the components which means the "whole" depends upon the performance of the components.

All the prophets of ALLAH (SWT), before the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), also preached the unity of ALLAH (SWT), BUT the perfect unity made known through the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) could not be presented to the people of earlier times BECAUSE their intellect and perception had not developed enough to understand the ever-living and self-subsisting being of ALLAH (SWT). The following words, spoken by Isa, are quoted as an example:

µ  There is still much that I could say to you, but the burden would be too great for you now. However, when he comes who is the spirit of truth, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but will tell only what he hears; and he will make known to you the things that are coming. (John 16: 12 and 13).

EVERY PROPHET OF ALLAH (SWT) PREACHED THE UNITY OF ALLAH (SWT). THE IDEA OF TRINITY WAS NOT GIVEN BY ISA. It is an after-thought of the Christian church. Please read the following quotations from the Old and the New Testaments.

Old Testament:

·          God spoke, and these were His words:

"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

You shall have no other God to set against me.

You shall not make a carved image for yourself nor the likeness of anything in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth". (Exodus 20: I to 4).

·         Hear O Israel, the Lord is our Lord, One Lord. (Deut 6: 4)

·          "I am the Lord, the Lord is my name; I will not give my glory to another ALLAH (SWT), nor my praise to any idol." (Isaiah 42: 8)

·          Thus says the Lord, Israel's king, the Lord of hosts, his ransomer:

"I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but me." (Isaiah 44: 6)

·          "I am the Lord, there is no other; there is no God beside me."

"I am the Lord, there is no other."

·          "There is no God but Me; there is no God other than I."

·         "I am God, there is no other." (Isaiah 45: 5, 18, 21, 22).

·         "I am God, there is no other." (Isaiah 46: 9)

·         "I am He; I am the first, I am the last also. (Isaiah 48: 12)

New Testament:

·          A false God has no existence in the real world.

There is no God but one.

Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all beings comes. (1 Corinthians 8: 4 and 6)

·         One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. (Ephesians 4: 5 and 6).

PROPHET AFTER PROPHET CAME AND AWAKENED MAN STEP BY STEP AND DEGREE BY DEGREE. Finally the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), the brightest light, was sent to expose and explain the ultimate truth, as promised by ALLAH (SWT), to enlighten the human mind and heart with the knowledge through which man can become aware of the Lord ALLAH (SWT), but comprehends only what his power of contemplation can bear.

IT IS REPORTED THAT THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF EXISTENCE;

                        i.      WAJIB UL WUJUD The self-existing existence. The primal cause. There can never be any effect without a cause. The universe, therefore, was created by the self-existing creator, the primal cause.

                       ii.      MUMKIN UL WUJUD The creatures or created beings whose creation is possible only if the creator so wills.

                     iii.      MUMTANI UL WUJUD The impossible existence. The existence of another being like ALLAH (SWT) is not possible because there cannot be two equals in the sense of oneness. If there are two equals in this sense, then there is no meaning in their being two, separated from each other. THEY MUST BE ONE. IF THERE ARE TWO SUCH BEINGS then there must be a dividing factor which makes the two as two and maintains their two separate entities, in which case the dividing factor will be the wajib ul wujud, therefore, such an existence is neither possible nor real.

Wajib ul wujud, therefore, means the self-existing existence of the ever-living and self-subsisting creator. To maintain His self-existing existence He must be an omnipotent authority who not only owns absolute knowledge of the existence but also the will that does what it wills. His control is absolute. His attributes are His self, inseparable from Him from any point of view or in any imaginable meaning or sense, as the meaning is inseparable from a word or as equiangularity is inseparable from an equilateral triangle.

As the limited knowledge of the finite being cannot conceive of anything without referring to its attributes, we give names to the attributes of ALLAH (SWT), with the help of our visualisation, to have a suggestive idea of His absolute existence.

Ì  THEREFORE, the Shia school holds IT AS A CARDINAL DOCTRINE OF FAITH NOT TO THINK OF ANY OF HIS ATTRIBUTES AS A SEPARATE ENTITY FROM HIS EXISTENCE. ALL THE ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH (SWT) ARE ONE ABSOLUTE UNITY, because, if they are not, then it would mean complexity, which negates the absolute independence of the omnipotent authority. **His existence means His authority, **His authority means His knowledge, and likewise all His attributes are so linked together that they are one indivisible unity.

î   ALLAH (SWT) is a transcendental reality.

î   He is unknowable.

î   He is an infinite being, beyond the conceivability of our finite consciousness.

î   He is inconceivable.

î   He is hayyul qayyum, the ever-living, the self-subsisting (Ali Imran 3:2; Ta Ha 20:111, Mumin 40:65).

v  Imam Ali says:

O’ He!

O’ He whom none knows what He is,

Nor how He is,

Nor where He is,

Nor in what respect He is;

Except He. 

(Dua al-Mashlul)

Qayyum is a magnified form of the adjective qayam - standing, lasting, and enduring. It implies He who stands by Himself, and all others stand because of His (eternal) endurance. HIS RELATION TO HIS CREATURES IS **LIKE THE SOURCE OF LIGHT TO THE RAYS OF THE LIGHT, OR **LIKE THE MIND TO THE CONCEPTS, NOT LIKE the relation of an architect or a builder to a construction he builds.

r  It is exactly as Ali ibne Abi Talib has said- "Every thing stands by means of Him".

î   He is the self-subsisting everlasting, therefore,

î   He is the first and the last, and

î   the apparent and the hidden (Hadid 57:2 and 3); and

î   He is the knower of all things, and

î   He is with everything but is not computed with anything (Mujadilah 58:7; Ma-idah 5:73).

*While trying to visualise His attributes, it is necessary not to be misled by the finite inferences. His activity does not at all mean movement to perform an act by employing energy as we do. *Awareness of His attributes, based upon reason and contemplation, may appear pure and perfect to us, but, in fact, it remains a shadow of the reality which transcends all faculties of comprehension.

"Slumber does not overtake Him", means that *He is not influenced by any change whatsoever. *He is beyond time and states, for *He encompasses time and all states. *He is the ever vigilant, or the true and perfect vigilance itself.

"Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His" means that *He is the creator of matter. If the "matter" is not created by ALLAH (SWT), AND is said to be eternally existing as He is, then He is only a fashioner of things out of matter, in which case nothing belongs to Him. [*]There is no propriety in this conjecture. It is unreasonable to say that there are two independent eternal equals. If matter is accepted as an independent and uncreated eternal, then ALLAH (SWT), to prove His existence, will need the matter to carry out His creative plan, otherwise the matter will remain idle. There is no meaning in the idea of two eternal equals, separated from each other. They must be one. If there are two such beings, then there must be a dividing factor which makes the two as two and maintains their two separate entities, in which case the dividing factor, superior in will and authority will be the ever-existing Supreme Being.

"Who can intercede with Him, except by His permission?" implies that though ALLAH (SWT) is the almighty and the absolute sovereign BUT as He is also the merciful, the compassionate, He has given permission to "Muhammad and Ali Muhammad", the thoroughly purified, to intercede on behalf of the sinners. The issue of intercession has been dealt with in detail in the commentary of verse 48 of this surah. Please refer to it.

"He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases", means ALLAH (SWT)'s omniscience. The finite beings cannot hide anything from ALLAH (SWT). They cannot comprehend anything except what He pleases, no matter whatever knowledge and intelligence they possess. The facts which are unknown or unknowable to the finite beings are known to the infinite. ALLAH (SWT)'s knowledge is infinite and absolute. He is the knowing who knows ahead and in advance (in term of time and space) the origin and causality of knowledge. Although the ordinary human beings do not perceive that which is known to ALLAH (SWT) only, BUT those who have been endowed with the divine knowledge are aware of the secrets of the universe.

In "His kursi (seat of authority and knowledge) extends over the heavens and the earth", although kursi literally means "chair", like arsh (used in other verses of the Qur’an) means "throne", BUT BOTH these words have been used metaphorically. They refer to the divine knowledge and authority of the supreme, almighty and sovereign ALLAH (SWT), in relation to all that which has been created by Him. His "relation" with His creation, in time and space, remains unconditionally unaffected. His control over everything, created by Him, is perfect, complete and absolute. There is no limitation to the infinity of His existence, because the ever-existing existence is only His and it is He who gives existence to whom He wills. When we say "He is here, there and everywhere", we only make use of our limited and inadequate ability to understand and express His absolute infinity. He is the creator of time and space, therefore, His infinite existence cannot be conceived by the help of the knowledge derived from the system based upon experience and induction.

©  According to the Ahlul Bayt kursi or arsh, not connected with any kind of matter, is the manifestation of His knowledge and authority in relation to all that which has been created. It includes all the heavens and the earth. Arsh refers to ALLAH (SWT)'s hold and sway over all creation. In other words, the creation as a whole is the kursi or the throne of ALLAH (SWT) from which all His divine attributes of knowledge, wisdom, might and glory manifest.

"And the preservation of them does not tire Him" means the creation, as a whole, is sustained by Him, and its continued existence is maintained by Him. The laws (created by Him), governing the operation of creation, produce fatigue, therefore, He is independent of such laws. His absolute existence is eternal and everlasting.

"He is the most high, the great", according to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), is one of the most important verses of the Qur’an, which deals with the unity of ALLAH (SWT), His attributes, His relation to His creatures, the position of man in the order of creation, his instinctive desire to turn unto Him, his means of salvation and the ultimate reward and punishment.

IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE TOTAL SEIZURE OF MIND AND HEART BY THE GREATNESS OF THE KURSI, MENTIONED IN THIS VERSE, IT IS MADE CLEAR IN THE END THAT ALLAH (SWT) ALONE IS THE MOST HIGH, THE GREATEST.

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(2:255) Allah: the Everlasting, the Sustainer of the whole Universe; there is no god but He. *278 He does neither slumber nor sleep. *279 Whatsoever is in the heavens and in the earth is His. *280 Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His own permission? *281 He knows what is before the people and also what is hidden from them. And they cannot comprehend anything of His knowledge save whatever He Himself pleases to reveal. *282 His Kingdom *283 spreads over the heavens and the earth and the guarding of these does not weary Him. He alone is the Supreme and the Exalted. *284

*278. Irrespective of the number of gods or objects of worship set up by ignorant people, the fact remains that godhead in its entirety, belong's exclusively to the Eternal Being, Who is indebted to no one for His existence. In fact, HE IS NOT ONLY SELF-EXISTENT, BUT UPON HIM RESTS THE ENTIRE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE. He alone wields all sovereign authority over His dominion. None shares either His attributes or His power and might, and no one has the same claims against the creatures as He. Hence, if anywhere in the heavens or the earth someone sets up anything or anybody as an object of worship and service (ilah) either instead of or in addition to the One True God this amounts to declaring war on reality. 
*279. This is a refutation of the ideas of those who, in formulating their concepts of God, are inclined to consider God analogous to their own imperfect selves and hence ascribe to God the weaknesses characteristic of human beings. An instance at hand is the famous Biblical statement that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day He rested (see Genesis, chapters 1 and 2). 
*280. TO GOD BELONGS THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND EVERYTHING THEREIN. THERE IS NO ONE WHO SHARES ANYTHING WITH GOD IN GOVERNANCE either of the heavens or of the earth. Any conceivable being other than God would necessarily be a part of the universe and thus belong to, and be a subject of, God rather than His partner and equal. 
*281.This is a refutation of the ideas of those polytheists who consider either saints, angels or other beings to be so influential with God that if they were adamant in demanding something of Him, their demand would prevail. They are being told that, far from anyone having the power to impose his will on God, none - not even the greatest Prophets and the most highly esteemed angels - will dare utter one word in the majestic court of the Lord unless they are expressly permitted to do so. 
*282. Here another blow is struck against polytheism. On the basis of the concept of God's unlimited sovereignty and omnipotence it was stressed, in the foregoing verses, that no one shares independently in God's governance of the universe, and no one is so powerful with God that his intercession would decisisely influence His judgement. The same point is stressed here but in a different manner. It is pointed out THAT NO ONE POSSESSES THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WOULD ENABLE HIM TO COMPREHEND THE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE CONSIDERATIONS UNDERLYING IT, SO NO ONE CAN LEGITIMATELY INTERFERE IN ITS GOVERNANCE. THE KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN BEINGS, OF JINN, OF ANGELS AND OF ALL OTHER CREATURES IS LIMITED AND IMPERFECT. No one's knowledge embraces all the facts of the universe. If someone did have the right to interfere even in only a part of the universe, and if his suggestions were of necessity to be put into eflect, the entire order of the universe would be disrupted. Creatures are incapable of understanding what is best for them, and do not have the capacity to know how best the universe should be governed. It is God alone Who knows everything. 
*283. The Arabic term kursi signifies sovereignty, dominion and authority. 
(The word Kursi has been variously interpreted by Muslim scholars. The literal meaning is obvious; it signifies that which one sits on. Scholars have differed, however, as to whether the word has been used in the Qur'an literally or figuratively. They have also disagreed whether the Kursi and 'Arsh which occur in the Qur'an have one and the same meaning or are different. The main opinions expressed by the scholars are the following: (i) that Kursi signifies God's knowledge, a view attributed to Ibn 'Abbas; (ii) that it is identical with 'Arsh (Throne), a view attributed to Hasan al-Basri; (iii) that it signifies God's power (iv) in opposition to such views a large number of scholars insist that Kursi should be considered a reality rather than be understood figuratively. In addition to many earlier scholars, this was vigorously championed by Ibn Taymiyah. It should be remembered, however, that Ibn Taymiyah and others who hold this opinion, side by side with affirming that Kursi is a reality, also emphasize that man has no knowledge about the nature and modality of Kursi and that it ought to be treated as something unique, being related to God Who is unique both in His essence and attributes. (See the commentaries of Alusi. Tabari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and Shawkani on this verse. See also Ibn Taymiyah, Majmu al-Fatawa 1bn Taymiyah, vol. 5, pp. 55-8 and vol. 6, pp. 584-5. It is interesting to note that Sayyid Qutb, (martyred 1386 A.H/966 C.E.), a contemporary of Mawdudi and one of the most influential Islamic thinkers of our time, has interpreted the verse exactly, as Mawdudi did - Ed.)
*284. This verse is generally known as the 'Verse of the Throne' and it provides in one piece a knowledge of God without parallel.
The question that arises here is: What is the occasion for describing the Lord of the Universe and His attributes? In order to appreciate this one should rehearse the discourse beginning with verse 243 and continuing up to this point. In this discourse the believers were urged to strive with their lives and belongings to establish the true faith and were warned to get rid of the weaknesses which had characterized the conduct of the Israelites. A fundamental fact about war - that victory and success do not depend upon superiority in either numbers or weapons - was then indicated. They depend rather on faith, fortitude, discipline and firm resolution. Thereafter the Divine wisdom underlying fighting was disclosed, namely that God removes one set of people by means of another in order to maintain the good administration of the world. For were one group's dominance to be assured in perpetuity, the lives of all other human beings mould become miserable.
This was followed by the clarification of a misunderstanding which often arises in the minds of ignorant people. This misunderstanding arose from the false assumption that God had sent His Prophets so that all diversity and disagreement might come to an end. The people who accepted this premise, however, saw considerable diversity and disagreement, and were aware that falsehood existed side by side with Truth. They were agitated by the thought that this state of affairs might suggest helplessness on God's part that He had failed to stamp out the evils He wanted to. In reply to this it was pointed out that it was not God's will to compel all human beings to follow one and the same way. Had it been so, man could not have deviated from the course set for him by God. This observation was followed by a passing reference to the subject with which the discourse opened. Finally, the point is made that no matter how many divergent beliefs, viewpoints, ways of life and conduct exist in actual life, the reality underlying the order of the universe is the one stated in this verse, and it remains unaffected by the misconceptions of people. On the other hand, however, it is not God's purpose to compel people to accept it. Whoever accepts it will find it to his own benefit; whoever rejects it, will find the result harmful.